Tempus Volat
by dreamweaver34
Summary: Going back in time wasn't an accident. Going back in time almost 50 years, however, was.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: First Class. I do own Emily Hope, however. The title means 'Time Flies' in Latin.

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><p>Emily Hope (codename Tempus) isn't a genius, an athlete, or a trust fund baby. She is average, with a normal family, normal problems, and she would have gone on to lead a singularly normal life if not for one fact. She is a mutant, a person with a mutated gene, commonly known as the x-gene. It was a trait passed down paternally, though she was the first in her family that the gene had manifested in to gain powers.<p>

Her powers were something interesting. She could travel through time; a more accurate description would be that she had the unique ability to manipulate time in such a way that she could relive events in the past and alter those events should she see fit to do so. It only went the one way, however. She couldn't travel to the future, so if she went back in time for, say, a day, she had to relive that day over until the timeline caught up to when she had disappeared. She could also change location, if she concentrated hard enough.

Professor Xavier speculated that the reason she couldn't travel forward in time was that the future was being changed with every decision every person in the world made. It involved a lot of thinking in circles and abstract ideas, and it hurt her head to think about it too much. She was fine with not being able to go into the future, though.

She never thought that she would have any reason to travel back in time for more than a day, but things change and one day changed everything.

It was war, plain and simple. The humans' fear of mutants had finally come to a head, resulting in rioting in the streets and attacking of known mutants. The X-Men had been called to help a group of mutants trapped in a building by a bunch of humans threatening to burn them all. Professor X had come as well, in the hope of talking to the humans and offering the mutants sanctuary. No one was quite sure how Magneto had heard about it, but he was there, along with his brotherhood of mutants.

It was madness. The X-Men were fighting Magneto's mutants, who were fighting the humans, who in turn were fighting all the mutants, including the X-Men, who were trying to protect the humans from Magneto's mutants. Emily was standing by Professor X, who was looking into people's minds and warning the X-Men of upcoming attacks. Emily was a part of the X-Men, though her powers weren't needed unless someone was seriously injured or about to die, then she'd jump back in time and try to prevent it. The unofficial rule to time-travelling was that you could jump back to a point three times, before you were done. Why three, she didn't know, but she had realized that she could circumvent the rule by jumping slightly farther behind or forward than the point she had previously. Thankfully, her power hadn't been needed yet in this battle, but she knew it was only a matter of time.

She winced as she watched Cyclops take a metal rod to the head, courtesy of a human. Jean used her telekinesis to throw the human away from Cyclops before moving to check that he was alright. Emily let out a sigh of relief as she saw Cyclops get back on his feet, if a little unsteadily. Rogue was using the ability to manipulate fire that she had stolen from Pyro to extinguish the small fires the humans had managed to set. Iceman was freezing humans and mutants alike to prevent them from fighting, though he looked as if he was tiring. Storm was blowing the humans away from mutants with strong winds and sending down lightning bolts at Mystique, who was also dodging Wolverine's claws, while Nightcrawler was transporting the mutants out of the building and away from the fight, if they wanted to go. Some wished to stay and fight against the humans. Shadowcat was assisting him by phasing the mutants through the walls of the building and away from the fighting.

Magneto had been attacking humans and the X-Men with everything from the guns the humans had brought to cars parked on the street. Professor X had tried reasoning with him, shouting to be heard above the chaos, but Magneto would not be deterred from his way of thinking. Eventually, the professor had given up and focused on helping the humans and other mutants, but Emily saw him shooting glances at Magneto occasionally. She had asked him if he wanted her to go back in time and find some way of removing Magneto's helmet, though she didn't know how, but he had refused, insisting her powers were better used for helping the others.

The area where she and the professor were standing overlooked the battle going on below. It was a small cliff built jutting out from the side of a larger cliff. Emily glanced up as a small piece of rock fell down the cliff and bounced harmlessly against her shoe. She was nervous about this position, as any number of attacks from the mutants below could bring those rocks down on her and the professor. If that happened, she hoped she was quick enough to transport to the past and prevent it, somehow. She said as much to Professor X.

Of course, Emily should have never voiced her concern to the professor, as saying it just guaranteed that it would come true. She wasn't entirely sure how it had happened, though if asked later, she would have sworn she saw a flash of red hit the cliff. One minute, she was staring at an increasingly horrific battle between mutants and humans, and the next she was looking at a ton of rock and gravel barreling down on her and the professor from above. Instinctually, she started to call on her power to jump into the past, mind scrambling for a proper time. She was just starting to concentrate, her hand on the professor's shoulder to reassure him she was moving to prevent the avalanche of debris, when she felt something smack her on the head, hard. Whether it was a rock or something else entirely, she didn't know, but the impact was enough to break her concentration mid-jump, sending her thoughts awry and causing her to unconsciously tighten her grip on the professor's shoulder.

She was starting to panic now, and that panic was causing her mind to resist the time she had been thinking about. Her thoughts were too many, too quick and she couldn't concentrate. She could vaguely hear the professor's thoughts, not sure if he was knowingly projecting them. He was wishing none of this had started, not just this battle, but the whole war. He was thinking, strangely, about a smaller battle on a beach in…Cuba? And who was that lean gentleman wearing Magneto's helmet? And that younger man with shaggy brown hair and his hand to his head…Professor X?

As Emily's mind focused on the memories from the professor, her powers were reacting to the situation and traveling through time to remove the girl and the man whose shoulder she had in a death grip from their perilous place on the cliff. It was really no surprise later when she thought about it that her powers had latched onto the memories from the professor and transported her to that place on the beach so very long ago. What was a surprise was that they brought the professor along for the ride.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: First Class. This may end up being Erik/Charles. I'm not so good at writing romance, so we'll see where it goes.

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><p>Emily wouldn't describe her return to consciousness as an awakening, since she never fell asleep. For that matter, she never passed out either. It was an odd sensation. One minute, she was looking at a mass of rocks and gravel headed her way. A momentary blackness, then she was on a beach, white sands, clear skies, and a bunch of metal wrecks. There were also quite a few people, the most noticeable an angry looking man wearing Magneto's helmet who had his back to her and a young man with thick brown hair that had fallen to his knees. She was standing behind the two and slowly turned around to take in the others on the beach, from the two blue people (Mystique, obviously, and…<em>Dr. McCoy?<em>), the red man, and the five normal looking people that she would be willing to bet were mutants.

She turned her attention back to the scene in front of her. The probably-Magneto was using his powers to levitate a bunch of-holy shit, were those missiles?-that were aimed for the beach. As she watched, he concentrated hard and turned the missiles around, pointing them at the ships she could see in the distance. The other young man had gotten on his feet and was slowly turning around to take in everything. She nearly screamed when she heard his voice inside her head.

_Miss Hope?_

_Professor Xavier!_

She almost couldn't believe it, but some detached part of her brain was thinking that it made sense. This was obviously the professor's past, as the man before her was young, not bald, and not in a wheelchair. Emily felt cold as she considered the possibility that this was the moment when the professor had lost the use of his legs. Since he wasn't outright attacking Magneto, maybe they were friendly in the past and some tragic occurrence on this beach in the past-no, the present, this was the present and god, did that present a whole new set of issues for her-had forever crippled the professor.

Charles' eyes widened as he took in his student's frightened face, though she was desperately trying to remain calm. He turned quickly back to Erik, deciding explanations could be saved for later when his old friend wasn't in danger of committing mass murder. Hands shaking as the implications of what was happening coursed through him, he shouted at Erik, trying to get him to listen where he couldn't before.

"Erik, you must stop. You have no idea of what you are doing."

Erik didn't spare him a glance, all his concentration focused on those missiles.

"I know exactly what I'm doing, Charles. They tried to kill us. You can't want to defend them."

Charles knew the argument he had used on Erik in the past wouldn't work. Physical violence had, but that hadn't ended well. What could he do?

Emily realized the problem immediately, understanding coursing through her as she saw all the tragic ways the events playing out before her could end. All those people on the ships could die, or the professor may end up paralyzed, or they may all die…The future was open for change now and like it or not, she was here in the past with the younger versions of several mutants she knew, a couple who were her enemies, at least in the future. Here, now, she had a feeling Magneto and Professor X were friends and that just made it all the more tragic.

She couldn't just stand there and do nothing, however. Too many battle and Danger Room sessions with Logan had instilled in her the sense of movement, don't stand still, it won't accomplish anything, fight, defend.

The past may be playing out before her, but there was one very important difference…herself. She hadn't been there before, but she was now and while she wasn't sure what she could do, she had to try. She took a deep breath and walked until she was in front of Magneto. He looked at her in confusion, anger, so many emotions swirling through him.

"Who the hell are you?" he snarled, sure she hadn't been there earlier with Shaw's mutants.

Emily took another deep breath before taking a leap of faith.

"My name is Emily Hope. I'm from the future, a future where Professor Xavier is in a wheelchair, you and he constantly fight against each other, and the world is going to hell in a hand basket. The Professor who stands next to you is the same professor that I know 50 years into the future. I brought him back in time accidently when I was trying to save him and myself from an avalanche of rocks."

The man looked stunned; Emily took another steadying breath. Glancing behind her, she saw the missiles suspended in midair, not moving, yet still dangerous. Magneto seemed to gather himself, before glaring at her.

"Why should I believe you? Charles, this girl can't possibly be right."

"I'm afraid she is, my friend," Professor Xavier said, walking unsteadily closer to the two. "Please, take off your helmet and I can show you, but you may not like what you see."

Magneto hesitated.

"I promise, Erik, I'm not going to try and stop you. Just, see where this desire for revenge will take you."

Emily saw the man hesitate a moment longer, before slowly reaching up and removing his helmet. The missiles were still suspended in the air and Emily was relieved to note that they were far away from both the island and the ships in case they went off or Magneto lost control of them.

Charles almost wanted to cry with relief that Erik had let him in. Maybe, maybe this wouldn't end as it had before. Maybe, the future could be saved.

Quickly recalling the memories of the first time on the beach, Charles slipped into Erik's mind and let him see all the images for himself. He showed him the fight they had on the beach, the bullet that went into Charles' back, the parting of way and when Charles discovered he was paralyzed. He also showed him some of the fights the X-Men and Magneto's Brotherhood had gotten into over the years, including the last battle he and Emily were at before she jumped them back in time.

Erik was mentally shaking his head, not wanting to believe it, but even he could see the truth in the memories.

_How, Charles? How did it get so messed up?_

_Oh, my friend. I have asked myself that every day since it happened. I never dreamed that I would get the chance to do it over, but here we are. I want to change the future, Erik. I want you by my side again._

_Our views are so different. How can we reconcile them?_

_Our views aren't as different as you may think. We both want peace for mutantkind. We both want mutants to be free to be who they are. Yes, we have differing ways of doing that, but I'm sure we can work them out if we just try._

Erik considered it. He never wanted his friend to end up his enemy. He knew Charles was too morally good, especially in comparison to Erik's much darker personality, but he thought, when they were training the kids at the mansion, that he could get used to it. Being around the telepath, helping the other mutants learn to accept and use their powers, it had been…nice. A sort of calling that he didn't even know he wanted.

…_Okay. I'm willing to give it a chance._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men: First Class.

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><p>Emily watched the professor and Magneto, taking in the slight change in facial expressions each displayed as they communicated through their minds. She had forgotten about the other mutants on the beach, as they hadn't said a word, until she heard the loud noise she had come to associate with Kurt's teleportation.<p>

Glancing around wildly for a minute-surely Kurt couldn't be here-Emily wasn't quick enough to turn around when she heard the telltale _bamf_ noise behind her. A red hand came up to grasp her throat and a knife was held to the side of her neck. A momentary panic consumed her until her training took over and her mind cleared, preparing to jump back in time. Before she could concentrate, however, the mutant who held her jerked her towards the professor, who had just exited Magneto's mind if his rapid blinking was anything to go by.

Charles pulled out of Erik's mind easily, glad his friend had decided to give peace a chance. At the same time, he couldn't help but worry about what impact this would have on the future, with Erik and Raven staying at the mansion and himself no longer in a wheelchair. Not to mention poor Emily. She couldn't travel forward to her own time, so she was stuck in the past, with no family members who knew her and no paper work or anything to identify herself. It was going to be tough. After all, the 60s were vastly different than the first decade of the new millennium that she grew up in.

Speaking of Emily, a flash of red beside him caught his eye and he turned to face the teleporting mutant, Azazel, with a frown.

"You don't want to hurt her," Charles said, holding up his hands in a nonthreatening gesture. He took a small step toward the man, but stopped as his grip on Emily's neck tightened. Beside him, Erik also turned to face the mutant, holding tightly to the helmet in his hands.

"I'm no fool," Azazel snarled. "You've beaten Shaw. You're probably going to take us to those humans and who knows what tests they'll run on us."

Charles took another small step toward Azazel, who quickly backed away and held the knife tighter to Emily's throat.

Emily tried not to flinch, but she couldn't help it. She could hear the rapid heartbeat of the mutant who held her, and he wasn't going to calm down soon unless the professor made him. Deciding she needed to take matters into her own hands, Emily relaxed her body, as if she was giving in to the mutant's hold on her neck.

Feeling her go slightly limp in his arms, Azazel unconsciously loosened his grip on her throat. It was a mistake on his part.

As soon as Emily felt his hands loosen their grip, she rammed an elbow backward, catching the red man by surprise and causing him to fully let go of her. She quickly spun around and grabbed the hand that held the knife, grappling with him for control before the knife flew out of his hand and into the waiting one of Magneto.

Not bothering to pause and look, Emily quickly crouched down and swept a foot out, catching the man's legs and causing him to fall. Rolling over to straddle the red mutant, Emily grabbed hold of his hands and forced them down by his sides, resting her knees on them to keep him down. He could have easily teleported out, but it would have taken her with him no matter what.

Emily was breathing hard. The amount of power it had taken to travel decades back in time coupled with the physical exertion she had just performed was taking a toll on her and she knew she wouldn't be able to fight this mutant for very long. She tried a different approach that had almost always worked for the professor-talking.

"We aren't going to turn you over to the humans for testing. If you remain peaceful and promise not to harm any of us or kill us in our sleep, you can stay at the Xavier mansion with the rest of the mutants the professor gathered," Emily looked up at the professor, who nodded to her, before addressing Azazel.

"She speaks the truth. We won't turn you away if you have nowhere else to go. All we need is your assurance that you won't harm anyone," Charles said.

Azazel hesitated a moment, before nodding in agreement. Emily rolled off of him and stood up, offering her hand to help him up. He took it, a little puzzled. Charles did a quick, shallow sweep of the man's mind to make sure he was honest in his agreement. Pleased, he offered his hand to shake when the man was fully upright. Regarding it for a moment, Azazel took the proffered hand and gave it a firm shake.

The professor turned to Angel and the other mutant of Shaw's, the one who could create tornadoes, and offered them the same deal he had given Azazel. Angel was hesitant, not believing the team she had abandoned and fought against would accept her back so easily. Riptide, the other mutant, just shook his head.

"No, thank you. Fighting for humans isn't something I want to do," he said, with an apathetic glance toward Azazel.

Angel addressed the professor next, shaking her head as well. "I'll stay with Riptide," she said, to the surprise of the other mutant, though he didn't look like he minded.

Xavier shrugged. "That's your decision then, and we'll honor it. Once we get off this island, you can go your separate ways."

Turning to the other mutants on the beach who had yet to speak, he gestured them forward.

"Everyone, this is Emily Hope. She's the newest member of our team, now," the professor said with a smile. "Emily, this is Alex, Sean, Hank, Moira, and Raven, my sister." He nodded to each in turn.

Emily couldn't quite keep the surprise from her face at hearing that Mystique, or rather, Raven, was the professor's sister. He hadn't told the X-Men, in the future.

Swallowing her surprise, she held out her hand to each of them, smiling. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm sure you have questions about my powers and how I came to be here, but I think we should get off this beach before any in-depth questioning is done."

"You're right," the professor said, frowning slightly.

Erik spoke up, then, eyeing the ships still out at sea. "Are you going to do something about them? They know we are on this island. They tried to intentionally kill us. Who's to say they won't do it again if left to remember the day's events?"

The woman with brunette hair who had been standing closet to the wreckage of the ship turned to him, glaring. "The CIA will straighten it out. They probably thought Shaw was still alive and wanted to wipe him out."

"Even if it meant destroying their own agent?" Erik challenged the woman, raising an eyebrow. She glared at him, but couldn't deny that the CIA had ignored her calls about the mutants on the beach.

Emily had no idea who Shaw was, but she had a feeling, a morbid feeling, that he was the body she could see laying near the wreckage of a submarine. Why the submarine was on land, she didn't know, but that could come later. Right now, Erik was right about the humans on the ships knowingly attacking the mutants.

Charles hummed, agreeing with Erik but not wanting to upset Moira. "I think the best course of action would be for me to wipe their minds of the event. They will know why they were out here and that the ship almost crossed the borders, but they won't remember we were here."

"Can you do that from so far out?" The red haired mutant, Sean she believed, asked.

The professor didn't answer him, already looking out across the ocean with the unblinking stare Emily had come to associate with his using telepathy. No one spoke for the next few minutes, watching the professor until he blinked and looked down.

"It's done. They don't remember us," he said, turning to the group. He moved to take a step toward them and stumbled. He would have fallen if not for Erik and Emily each grabbing onto an arm to keep him upright.

"Thank you," he said, leaning heavily on Erik. "That took a lot out of me."

Turning to Azazel, he questioned the red mutant. "Can you teleport all of us?"

Azazel nodded. "Everyone just has to be touching. Is there any place in particular you want to go?"

The professor hesitated, looking at Azazel, who nodded after a minute. "I can get us there," he said.

Everyone moved to hold onto each other, linking hands until they formed a rather large circle there on the beach. Azazel took Erik's and Riptide's hands, concentrating, and they all disappeared in a haze of red and black smoke.


	4. Chapter 4

Emily looked around the room, so familiar yet completely different. She appreciated that the professor had let her keep her old room, even though it was no longer her room. None of her belongings were in it. In fact, she didn't have any belongings in this time, only what she had on her when she jumped.

She swallowed, feeling the tears that she had been repressing all evening coming to the surface. After Azazel had teleported them all to the mansion, Angel and Riptide went on their way, though the professor offered them a place at the mansion should they ever need it. They had declined, obviously. Everybody else entered the mansion that Emily had called home since she was 13. That was eight years ago, in her time. When she had left, the mansion had been bigger than the one she now faced. She supposed with all the mutants that had come to the mansion in recent years the professor had to expand. _This_ mansion was smaller, and Emily would bet that it didn't have half of the features the one she knew did. It didn't even look like there was a basketball court, let alone a hidden jet beneath it.

Upon entering, Emily realized that not only was the outside different, the inside was completely different as well. There were some painting and vases that were the same, like the one directly beside the door that one of the kids had destroyed a few months ago, or fifty years in the future. God, this time travel thing was getting confusing, Emily thought.

They all had gathered in the foyer, with the professor and Magneto at the head. The professor had turned to them and suggested they turn in for the night.

"Explanations can come tomorrow, when we are all rested and thinking straight. For now, let's all retire to bed. Raven, do you care to loan Emily something to sleep in? Alex, can you do the same for Azazel?"

And here Emily was, in her old room and borrowed clothes. Her X-suit was hanging over a chair and the communicator every member of the team carried in the future was on the bedside table. She was sitting on her bed, no, _the_ bed. This room was not hers, not now.

Finally, she allowed the tears that she had been ruthlessly suppressing come to the surface. Curling up on her side, she let the tears flow freely, sobbing her heart out and not bothering to be quiet about it. She doubted anyone but the professor would bother to come check on her.

She cried until she fell asleep.

When she woke up, it was to a ridiculously bright light pouring in from the window that she had forgotten to close last night. For one second, she wondered why her roommate hadn't closed it before going to bed and then she remembered. She felt like crying all over again as she looked at the empty room that was so different from what she remembered. She swallowed the tears and looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was six o'clock in the morning. She doubted anyone else was awake, but she knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood, stretching. Looking down at her rumpled clothes, she shrugged. Raven was slightly taller and skinnier than her, so the clothes were a little short, but she had just rolled the cuff on the sweatpants and tugged the shirt into place. It wasn't perfect, but it would work for now.

She quietly exited her room, making her way down the hall, passing the others rooms. She went downstairs to the kitchen, intent on making some tea, certain the professor would have some.

When she entered the kitchen, she stopped short. Sitting at the table was Magneto, drinking from a coffee cup and staring at Emily over the rim.

Her first reaction was to attack, but she caught herself. This man wasn't the Magneto she knew. He hadn't left the professor on a beach with a bullet wound in his back and no use of his legs. He was just a man, a man who had killed someone yesterday.

Emily wasn't reassuring herself and she and Magneto were still staring at one another, each waiting for the other to make a move. Emily contemplated just leaving the kitchen, but that would be cowardly. Instead, she straightened up and nodded at the man in greeting, before walking towards the cabinets and getting a glass down. It was only by pure luck that she had managed to open the cabinet that held the glasses. She went to the sink and filled it with water, certain she wouldn't have the capability to make tea now, not with how badly her hands were shaking.

She wasn't afraid of Magneto. On the contrary, she had grown to hate the man who was constantly attacking humans and the X-Men. She was having a hard time distinguishing between the man she knew and the man sitting calmly in the professor's kitchen, drinking coffee.

Emily knew without looking that he was staring at her, but she wasn't going to be the first to break the silence. Let him ask whatever questions he wanted. She would answer them, though he may not like the answers he received.

He cleared his throat, and Emily finally turned around to face him. He raised his eyebrow at her.

She resisted the urge to snort. He could raise that eyebrow as high as he wanted, it wasn't going to do anything. She couldn't read minds like the professor, so whatever question he wanted answered would have to be asked.

Eventually, he seemed to realize that she wasn't going to say anything and scowled at her. Emily was unimpressed. She had been on the receiving end of scowls, glares, snarls, and every other facial expression in her eight years at the mansion. His certainly wasn't going to scare her. Magneto-or should she call him Erik now?-certainly wasn't the scariest thing she had encountered before. Sabertooth, now, scared the hell out of her because he was bloodthirsty and ruthless. Magneto had always been a bit more refined than that, no less violent, but a different type of violence. It was a little hard to explain why he didn't terrify her as Sabertooth did, but she just figured it was because Magneto had a shred of humanity in him. Even he had his limits. Sabertooth, however, had none.

So wrapped up in her musings was Emily that she jumped when Magneto cleared his throat. She glared at him, which didn't seem to bother him at all.

A crash in the foyer and a shouted curse distracted both of them from whatever conversation had been about to ensue.

Running into the foyer, Emily was surprised to see Xavier at the bottom of the staircase, attempting to stand on shaky legs. Magneto had come up behind her, but she ignored him in favor of rushing over to the professor.

"Professor, what happened? Are you alright?"

He waved off her worries and her help, standing on his own with the help of the banister.

"I'm fine, Miss Hope. I just missed the last step. It's been awhile since I had to walk down a staircase," he smiled, trying to reassure her. She grinned back, though it was slightly forced.

Charles turned his attention to Erik, standing by the kitchen door and observing both of them through narrowed eyes. "What are you doing up so early, Erik?"

Erik shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. I made tea. Would either of you like some?"

Emily turned and gave him an odd look. He didn't make eye contact with her, simply staring at Charles, who answered for the both of them. "That would be lovely, thanks."

Shrugging, Emily followed the professor and Magneto back into the kitchen and took it upon herself to pour two more cups of tea.

Twenty minutes later, the rest of the house had stumbled into the kitchen and now they were all gathered, yawning, around the island in the middle.

Charles was at the head and decided to start off the conversation. "I'm sure you all have many questions, but please let myself and Miss Hope explain first. Miss Hope, if you will."

Not entirely sure what the professor wanted her to say, Emily just decided to tell them who she was and how she came to the mansion.

"As I said yesterday, my name is Emily Hope. I'm a mutant, like most of you. I have the ability to travel backwards in time. Up until yesterday, the most I had traveled back was a day," she looked around at the table before continuing. "I was born in 1988."

Someone gasped at that. She suspected it was Mystique, but she wasn't making eye contact with anyone.

"I came to Xavier's School for Gifted Mutants when I was 13 years old. I had traveled back in time for half a day without meaning to. A couple of days after that, the professor and some others showed up at my door and offered me a place at the mansion. I never regretted it," she said with a smile at the professor.

"I studied there, and learned how to control my powers. When I graduated at 18, I wanted to stay at the mansion to teach other students and be part of the X-Men. I attended a local college and tutored students on the side, as well as training and fighting with the X-Men. It was…a turbulent time for mutants, though things were changing. And then…" here she broke off and couldn't help but glare at Magneto.

The professor quickly took over then. He explained about the battle and how they had jumped back in time. Emily told the group about how the professor had been projecting on accident and that was why she had focused on yesterday. She didn't make eye contact with anyone but the professor, but she could feel the waves of pity coming off the others. Then, the professor told them what was supposed to happen yesterday and all hell broke loose.

"What do you mean I just left you on a beach with a bullet wound in your back, Charles?" The loudest of them all was Mystique, who was staring at the professor with an angry, yet hurt, look. The professor met her eyes calmly, having come to grips long ago with the events that had transpired in his life.

"I mean just what I said, Raven," His eyes gained a more serious look to them, tinged with regret. "You are, and have always been, my baby sister and I wanted nothing more than your happiness. If that was by Erik's side, who was I to make you stay?"

Raven quieted down after that, staring at Charles with a mixture of emotion. Emily was surprised at how…human Mystique looked, even with the blue skin and yellow eyes. She had only ever seen the woman angry or serious when fighting, never the mix of hurt, sadness, and anger she now held. It was disconcerting.

The questions came quickly after that, from all at the table. The professor refused to answer some questions about what became of the mutants in the room, but he told Erik truthfully that they were on opposite sides of the war in the future. That led to a small shouting match between Erik and Emily, with Erik insisting that the future just proved what he had been saying all along about how humans will never accept mutants and Emily responding that it was Magneto's continued antagonism towards the humans that caused problems. Charles had shut both of them down by correctly pointing out that the future was changed and there was no way of telling what it held now.

Emily blinked at the professor, not sure when she had stood up during her argument with Erik. Last night, she thought she had considered everything that being in the future entailed. It had never occurred to her, though, just how different the future was going to be now. With Magneto and Mystique and Azazel in the X-Men, the professor with full use of his legs, and herself in the past with all the knowledge both her and the professor had of the future, it was ridiculous to believe it would all play out exactly as it had. What would happen to mutants like Scott or Jean if they never come to the mansion? What about Rogue, who was finally starting to make some headway in controlling her power? And Logan? He was alive now, she was sure, but has his memory been wiped already? Could they find him and convince him to join the X-Men or would it be better for him and Rogue to meet as they had in the future and come to Xavier's together?

She didn't realize she had started hyperventilating until the professor was kneeling in front of her, calmly telling her to breath. She was sitting on the floor of the kitchen, an upturned stool near her. The professor held her hands and was asking her to slowly take deep breaths.

Emily inhaled, then exhaled slowly. Repeating the move a few times, she calmed down and was able to stand with the professor's help.

Holding her steady by the elbow, he turned to the rest, who had looked on in concern when Emily collapsed.

"I think it might be a good time to take a break. Everyone go relax for a while. I'll call you all when lunch is ready."

The others nodded and Charles led Emily out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own X-Men First Class.

* * *

><p>The professor led her out of the kitchen with a hand on her elbow. Behind her, she could hear the low murmur of the other mutants discussing the information they had just received.<p>

She and the professor walked up the stairs and to the professor's office. It was a little more crowded than what she remembered, with multiple bookcases and a chess board on a low table surrounded by two armchairs. A desk was by the window and Emily's first thought was that it was too close to the window and the professor wouldn't be able to manipulate his wheelchair around it. Then, she remembered and groaned as she sunk into one of the armchairs. The professor settled himself into the other one.

"What are we going to do, professor?" Emily asked, holding her head in her hands. "We're stuck in the past with no way to get back. What if we influence the future for the worse? What if we make the war between humans and mutants more volatile? What if…?"

The professor interrupted her before she could go on wondering.

"Miss Hope," he said firmly. "There is nothing we can do about the future except live our lives one day at a time and see where it takes us. Nothing is written in stone, and I believe we can make a positive difference in the lives of mutants." Here he stopped and sighed. "It will be difficult. I'm not going to lie and say it was easy to build the school you were used to. But, I did it, with the help of Alex, Sean, and Hank." He smiled at that.

Emily sighed. "I understand that, professor. But with Magneto and Mystique on the team, things are going to be different. What if they influence the team for the worse?"

Charles chuckled. "Miss Hope, you have a fondness for asking 'what if' questions, don't you?"

Emily smiled slightly. "When you're in the past, that's all you can ask. Well, that and 'what happened.'"

Charles smiled as well. "To answer your last 'what if' question, I believe that Erik and Raven are willing to give peace a chance now. Don't misunderstand me," he said, holding up his hand to stop Emily's interruption. "Erik doesn't like humans and he may never love them, but he's seen the man he becomes and it's everything he hates. The mutant we took down yesterday, Shaw, was a vile man that used and experimented on other mutants to achieve his ends. Erik doesn't want to be like that, not when he worked so hard already to not turn out like Shaw. I truly believe that he will be a better man than the one you remember."

Emily hated to shatter the professor's optimism, but she needed to ask. "Why did he turn out like that in the first place, then?"

The professor sighed, looking down. Emily felt a little guilty, as this was obviously a touchy subject for the professor but he continued before she could tell him to forget it.

"You must understand, I wasn't the only person to lose something on that beach before. Erik lost the small bit of hope he held for humanity." The professor looked slightly uncomfortable now. "A human shot at him and by extension, shot me. He blamed Moira for my injury initially and attempted to strangle her. I stopped him by telling him that it wasn't Moira's fault, it was _his_. It was a lie, as he hadn't meant for the bullet to go into my back, same as Moira. But, it was the only way I could think of to get him to stop."

"Professor, are you blaming yourself for the way Magneto turned out? You were lying on the ground bleeding from a bullet wound! You said the first thing that came to mind to get him to stop. I'm surprised you could form a coherent sentence." Emily was slightly upset now. Had the professor carried this needless burden all these years?

"While I'm happy at your indignation on my part, Miss Hope, some of the blame does lie with me. What if I hadn't blamed Erik? What if I had begged him to stay with me when he wanted to leave? What if I had treated Raven differently, let her know I thought her blue form was beautiful, that she was beautiful in every form simply because it was her? Would she have stayed?" He was looking speculative now.

Emily grabbed his hand, causing him to look at her. "Professor Xavier, you are not to blame. Magneto and Mystique made their own choices and those choices shaped the people they became. Same as the future isn't written in stone, the past cannot be changed. But, that is no longer your past. You have the chance to rewrite history and make it better and I firmly believe you can do it." She was looking at him intently, wanting him to understand.

Charles had to chuckle after her small speech. "I brought you here to reassure you, and now you're reassuring me. I feel a bit like a failure," he told Emily with a grin.

She leaned back and let out a small laugh of her own. "Your hopefulness is just contagious."

They both chuckled, leaning back in the chairs and staring off into space.

Emily bit her lip. She hated to ask, but she had a suspicion ever since they landed in the past. If she was honest with herself, she had suspected this for a while, but it was blasphemous to bring it up at the mansion.

"Professor, you and Magneto were friends, correct? Were you…ever more than friends?" She rushed to explain, noting the surprise on his face. "I mean, there were just small clues that you both felt something for the other, back in our time. Like, every time he was in prison, you would go visit him to play chess. And remember when we were at that lab and Avalanche caused part of the ceiling to fall? It was headed straight for you, but Magneto stopped it all and sent the wreckage back at Avalanche, even though he was in the Brotherhood. You didn't see his face afterward, as you were knocked out from a stray piece, but he was furious. The only time I have ever seen him looking so angry was when some humans attacked a little mutant girl for having orange skin."

The professor sighed. "We never confessed anything out loud, to others or one another. We grew close while traveling across the country searching for mutants and training to defeat Shaw. Then, of course, it all went to hell. From that point on, we were enemies. It wasn't easy, though, to just turn your back on someone you cared for. There were times when I truly believed that Magneto was still the Erik I remembered. However, he had been hurt too badly in the past and couldn't trust easily."

The professor looked down. "He never removed his helmet while in my presence. Eventually, it developed into the antagonism you were familiar with. But…I also noticed the small things, the little events that showed my Erik was still in there somewhere."

Emily swallowed back tears. She never liked Magneto, and she knew it would be a while before she completely trusted him in this time, but she found herself sympathetic towards both him and the professor. Maybe she had read too many romance novels when she was younger, but the thought of two people who genuinely cared for one another on opposite sides of the battlefield just tugged at her heartstrings.

Charles noticed the tears in her eyes and patted her hand. "Don't cry for me. I made my peace with it all a long time ago."

"You could change it, though," Emily suggested, hesitantly. "I don't think his feelings for you have waned any since the beach. You could give the relationship another chance. "

Even as she suggested it, she had her doubts. The professor was, for all intents and purposes, an 80 year old man. He had too much of a lifetime of fighting with Magneto and being enemies for it all to be erased simply because he was in a younger body. The professor must have read her thoughts because he gave her a wry grin.

"It would take quite a bit for it to happen, Miss Hope. Maybe, in time, but not right away," he shrugged. "It's alright, though. We have to focus on getting the mansion up and running as a school."

The discussion was over. For now.

The professor turned towards his student. "So, Emily, do you want to be a part of the founding of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters?" he asked.

She scoffed. "Of course. Like you could get the school built without me," she said, ignoring the obvious fact that he had gotten the school up and running before without her. Charles chuckled.

"But, professor, what do we do first?"

"Well," he considered. "I suppose we should get Cerebro's room set up. It was more efficient in the future. Then, we should probably start to work on building the underground levels of the school, as well as the jet. I doubt the CIA will lend us any more planes, now. Once we have that set up, we can actively start recruiting mutants for the school. Of course, if any mutants need help before then, they are welcome to come here."

The professor appeared to be thinking deeply about this. Emily went to his desk and found pad of paper and a pen. She quickly jotted down the professor's ideas about Cerebro and the sublevel.

"We should also work on communicators for the team, just in case. They were always useful in the future," she suggested. The professor nodded and she jotted a note down on the paper.

"We should also have a training room," a voice spoke up from the doorway. Both Emily and Charles turned quickly to look at who had spoken.

Erik stood leaning against the doorway, arms crossed over his chest. He walked into the office and moved a chair over to sit near Charles, facing Emily.

"I'm sure Alex is tired of training in that bomb shelter," he continued.

Emily looked at him for a long minute before nodding and making a note on the paper. "A Danger Room," she murmured.

Erik cocked his head. Charles, grinning, turned to explain.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, Emily was woken up bright and early by an exuberant Raven.

"Come on, get dressed. I brought you some more of my clothes to wear for today." The blue girl was practically bouncing with excitement.

"What?" Emily asked, not yet awake.

Raven rolled her eyes. "We're going shopping today for clothes for you and Erik. You, obviously, have nothing and Erik has very little clothes with him and I'm tired of seeing him wearing nothing but turtlenecks and tracksuits. Charles has given me his credit card, since he's going to be spending the day with Hank working on the mansion. Didn't he tell you?"

He had not, in fact, told her and Emily swore bloody vengeance on the professor for making her go on a shopping trip with Mystique and Magneto, alone. However, she did need clothes and was tired of having to borrow Raven's, so she grabbed the clothes Raven had tossed on her bed and started to dress as the shapeshifter went on her merry way to wake up Erik.

Stumbling out of her room a few minutes later, Emily was treated to the amusing sight of a pouting Charles Xavier trying to convince Erik to come shopping. It took her a moment to realize that it was actually Raven. Apparently, she had thought Charles would have better results getting Erik to go shopping than herself. It wasn't working, if the glare Erik was leveling at her was anything to go by. He also seemed to have realized it was Raven and not Xavier.

"No, Raven. I am perfectly happy with the clothes I have and do not need anymore. If and when I do need clothes, I will buy them myself," the man attempted to brush past Raven, but she wasn't so easily dissuaded, morphing back into her blue form and grabbing his arm.

"Oh, come on. It won't be that bad. Just a few more shirts and maybe a nice suit. I know the CIA gave you one for the recruitment trip, but obviously that's not going to happen again and you're too tall for Charles' suits." Raven continued badgering Erik all the way down to the kitchen, Emily trailing behind watching with amusement.

When they reached the kitchen, the only one present was the professor and Erik made a beeline straight for him.

"Charles, this is ridiculous. I do not need more clothes. Try to talk some sense into her," Erik growled.

Charles' gave him an amused grin. "I'm sorry, my friend, but when Raven has it in her mind to do something, very little will dissuade her. It's best to just give in. Besides, we are having a small celebration later today and it would be nice if you dressed up."

Emily looked at the professor with interest, but it was Erik who voiced the question. "What are we celebrating?"

"Besides our victory over Shaw," Charles began. "it also happens to be my birthday today."

There was dead silence after that statement. Raven, who had of course already known, continued to eat the bagel she had gotten out of the breadbox. Emily was staring down at the table, trying to remember if she had ever known when the professor's birthday was in the future. She couldn't remember ever finding out. Erik, on the other hand, looked very surprised, before he schooled his expression back into neutral.

"Fine, I guess I'll go shopping. But," he said menacingly, turning towards Raven. "I'm not spending five hours in a store waiting on you all to pick out clothes. We'll get the few things I need, then I'll go find a bar to wait in while you women shop."

Emily was torn between amusement and annoyance. Raven, however, just waved her hand in acquiesce.

"Whatever. If I find something else for you while we're shopping, then, I'll just pick it up. I wonder if you would look good in pink…" Raven trailed off, turning away from Erik, but Emily saw the smirk on the blue girl's face. She winked at Emily as she went past to go get ready. Erik was glaring at her and Emily quickly coughed to cover her smile.

It still kind of blew her mind to see Mystique and Magneto acting like normal people and not ruthless killers. Though, she figured, everyone had to be human once. She wondered, like she had last night, how a bubbly shapeshifter that was Xavier's sister could turn into the horrible woman who had no problem killing anyone who got in her way. And what had happened to Magneto to turn him completely away from the professor? Observing the two now, at the breakfast table with Charles trying to convince Erik to eat something before he went out, how they could become complete enemies in the future?

She shook her head. Wondering wasn't going to do anything and, if she had her way, the future would never come to pass. She still had trouble accepting the fact that she was stuck in the past and would never again see her friends, at least, not how she remembered them. She still cried at night and had nightmares about changing the future so completely that it was completely different then what she knew. But, she was slowly coming to terms with what her life was like now. Starting the school, being part of the original X-Men, hopefully keeping the tensions between humans and mutants from spilling over into war…it was going to be hard, but she had survived worse during her time at the mansion. She could survive this.

"…Emily?"

Emily looked up, startled. Charles was standing in front of her, holding out a muffin. She shook her head to clear it and took the muffin from him.

"Thank you, professor. Sorry, I was wrapped in my thoughts."

Charles chuckled, but gave her a slight worried look. "I know the feeling. If you ever want to talk, you know you can come to me anytime."

She looked down. He probably knew about her nightmares. Heck, he probably had some of her own.

"I do, actually," he stated. Emily looked up, surprised. Erik, in the background, was looking at the two with interest.

"They get rather bad sometimes," he continued. "Mostly, they're about things that hopefully won't happen, but there are few that occur at this time."

"The beach?" Emily asked.

The professor nodded. Behind him, Erik looked down. She knew he and the professor had continued talking after she had left the study last night, but she didn't know what about. Had the professor told him the full extent of what the future was like? When he was telling the other mutants, he had glossed over some of the more horrific aspects of what Magneto and Mystique had done, like kidnapping Rogue. Had he told Erik the whole truth?

The professor cleared his throat, bringing her back to the present. He nodded to the muffin in her hand.

"You should eat that. When Raven starts shopping, she doesn't stop for anything, even hunger." He smiled fondly.

"Sounds like someone else we know," Emily grinned, thinking of Kitty and Jubilee. Both girls loved to shop and nothing could get in their way.

The professor grinned knowingly, moving back to the table. Emily followed him and sat at the head. Charles and Erik were sitting facing one another, quietly talking. Emily tuned them out, reminiscing about the one shopping trip Jubilee had convinced her and Rogue to go on. Her feet had never hurt so badly from walking before.

Emily had just finished the muffin when Raven entered the kitchen again.

"Are you two ready to go?" she asked, looking at the table. Her black purse was slung over her shoulder and she held a set of car keys in her hand. Emily nodded and stood up, brushing away crumbs. Erik sighed, but followed suit, walking over to Raven.

Emily couldn't help the grin that worked its way onto her face. Erik looked like he was completely dreading this day.


	7. Chapter 7

Emily had learned something on this shopping trip: never let Mystique near a store. They must have gone into five different stores already, all carrying the same type of clothing, as far as Emily could tell. Erik had long ago lost his patience, but had yet to leave them like he had threatened earlier. Emily couldn't tell if it was because he was worried about leaving them alone or just interested in seeing what craziness Raven made next.

Right now, they were in a men's clothing store, looking at suits for Erik. Raven was flitting about the store with a salesperson behind her, pulling suits and shirts and ties off racks and rows and handing them to the salesperson. Erik and Emily had found a bench near the front of the store to sit and were watching Raven. There were already several shopping bags gathered by their feet, filled with women's clothes for Emily that Raven had insisted she needed. Most of it Emily could agree on, such as the basic tops and bottoms, but she couldn't understand the expensive cocktail dress Raven had insisted on getting. She felt bad about spending the professor's money, but Raven had just laughed and said it was her money to spend how she liked and not to worry about it.

While it had been slightly awkward between Emily and Erik at the beginning of the shopping trip, they had settled into a kind of companionable silence, just being pulled along by Raven in her craziness. That's why it was surprising to Emily when Erik broke the silence as they watched Raven.

"Was Charles…happy in your time?" he asked, not looking at her.

"I liked to believe he was," she responded. "However, you two were on opposing sides of a battlefield, as were he and Raven. I never realized the close relationship he used to have with you two, but now that I do, it makes all of our encounters just that more tragic. To know that it was his sister and best friend doing all these things that went so completely against his morals…it must have hurt him."

She wasn't looking at him, but she felt him tense.

"You know nothing of it," he snarled fiercely.

Emily shrugged. "Neither do you," she said, turning to face him.

In a way, she still felt like it was she and the professor separate from everybody else at the mansion and she was protective of him. While it was hard for her to be in a time where she didn't have anything or know anyone, it must be hard on him as well to be in a time where he remembered having no use of his legs and being estranged from his sister and best friend. The future was forever changed and Emily wasn't sure what was going to happen now.

Erik growled under his breath, turning away from her as Raven came walking up to them. He took the suits in her arm without a word and headed toward the dressing room.

Emily watched him go. If he wanted to ask questions, he should be prepared for the answers. She could see the chemistry between him and the professor in just the short time she'd been in this time and it made her slightly uncomfortable. If she was honest with herself, she wished he and the professor wouldn't get together. The professor was eighty years old, even though he was in the body of a thirty year old. There were already too many things to be concerned about to start a relationship with a man he had been enemies with for fifty years, such as getting the school up and running and recruiting new mutants. And god, what would happen if the future was changed so drastically that mutants like Cyclops and Storm never came to the mansion?

Raven took his seat on the bench and twirled a piece of her blonde hair around her finger, not looking at Emily.

"So, can I ask you something?" the blonde asked.

Emily nodded, "Sure."

Raven bit her lip before looking over at Emily. "Did Charles really consider me his enemy, in your future?"

Emily hesitated a minute, not wanting to be too harsh to the girl who had only shown her kindness since she had come to this time and not wanting to anger both of her companions on this shopping trip. "I can't speak for the professor's personal view of you," she started slowly. "However, I can tell you that we, the X-Men, saw you and Magneto as our enemies, and it was mutual for you two."

Raven looked sad and Emily felt like she should say something to reassure the girl. "However," she said, lightly touching Raven's arm. "That was the old future. We have a chance to change it, for the better. I know that Charles will do everything in his power to make sure you are always happy and want for nothing."

Raven shook her head. "I wish Charles didn't think he had to protect me from everything. I realize now that that was why he didn't want me to walk around in my natural form. It wasn't because he was ashamed of me like I had thought previously. I just…I want to be my own person and make my own mistakes and I've felt like Charles has tried so hard to stop me from doing anything that would hurt me."

Emily had to laugh slightly at that. "Well, of course he's tried to stop you from getting hurt. That's what brothers do for their sisters. It doesn't mean he thinks you aren't capable or anything like that."

Raven smiled slightly. "I know, I know." Before anything more could be said, Erik returned, the suits draped over one arm.

Raven jumped up. "Everything fit?" she asked. He just nodded and Raven took the clothes from his hands, heading toward the cashier.

"Wait," he called. "You can't buy all of these." Raven paused, turning towards him.

"Why not?" she asked, honestly curious.

"Because I don't need five suits," he exclaimed, looking frustrated. Emily smothered a laugh at the annoyed look on his face, turning away when he shot a glare at her so he wouldn't see her amusement.

Raven rolled her eyes and continued towards the check-out. "Of course I can," she said breezily. "Besides, you need them. Charles likes to occasionally throw fancy dinner parties and you need a suit to wear to those. Turtlenecks won't cut it."

Against his continued protests, which even Emily could tell were only half-hearted, as if he knew he wasn't going to win, Raven bought all five of the suits she held.

A few minutes later and they were out of the store, a couple extra bags swinging on Raven's arm. The rest of the bags were divided between Emily and Erik.

"Are we done yet?" Erik asked, his tone colored by annoyance.

Raven shot him a look. "Shoes, then we're done."

Erik groaned and Emily felt like doing the same. She was tired and getting hungry and her feet were starting to hurt. However, her protests fell on deaf ears and Raven ushered them both into a shoe store. Erik agreed to get one pair of dress shoes and a pair of running shoes, while Emily agreed to get running shoes, a pair of boots, and a pair of flats. She protested at the four-inch heels Raven picked out for her, until Raven agreed on a more sensible two-inch heel.

As they exited the shoe store, Emily breathed a sigh of relief that the shopping trip was finally over. Things had gotten tense again between her and Erik and she was eager to get back to the large mansion where she could keep away from him, at least until dinner.

The three were walking down the street towards where Erik had parked the car, when Raven suddenly stopped, eyes wide.

"Oh no," she said, covering her hand with her mouth. "I forgot to buy Charles a birthday present."

Emily turned quickly to look at her, as did Erik.

"His birthday is in three day. With everything that has gone on, it slipped my mind," Raven continued, looking between the two.

Erik looked surprised, but it was quickly taken over by annoyance.

"If you want to do more shopping, fine, but I'm going to find a bar. Meet me at the car in an hour." With those two sentences, he handed the bags he carried to Raven and stalked away, presumably to finally find a bar to drown his annoyance.

Raven turned towards Emily, who just shrugged at Erik's retreating back. "Let him go," she said. "Did you have anything in mind for the professor?"

Raven bit her lip and shook her head. "I don't have a solid idea, but I know where we can start. One of Charles' favorite shops is this little antique store, not far from where we parked the car."

"Let's go, then."

The girls gathered all their bags and set off for the direction Raven indicated. After dumping their bags in the trunk of the car, they headed to the antique store about a block away.

The store was called Callie's Antiques and it looked exactly like the type of shop the professor would like. There were bookcases full of old, worn books; Emily would be willing to bet some of them were pretty expensive. Paintings and sculptures of all kinds were set up among trunks and tables filled with knick knacks.

Raven went to browse the books, as Emily wondered over to look at a collection of cufflinks in an old jewelry box. She wasn't really sure what she was looking for, if anything, but then she saw them.

Nestled together in the box were a set of x-shaped cufflinks, surrounded by a circle. It wasn't exactly like the logo on their communicators from the future, but it was pretty damn close. Emily looked closer at the cufflinks, not paying attention, until a voice from her side startled her.

"Those cufflinks there were made with adamantium, you know," the shopkeeper who had startled her said. "I got them from an old lady who was cleaning her husband's belongings out and found them. She didn't want them and said she hoped they would go to an appreciative home one day."

Raven came up to the two and peered over Emily's shoulder to see what they were looking at. "Oh, those are nice," she observed, reaching over to pick them up. "How much are they?"

The shopkeeper adjusted his glasses before responding. "One hundred dollars, dear."

Emily was a little surprised at the price, but Raven nodded. "Did you want to get them for Charles for his birthday, Emily?"

Emily opened her mouth to say no, but she glanced at the cufflinks again. They were the exact sort of thing the professor would love, and it would remind him of the future, the future they were rebuilding and hopefully making better. She shut her mouth, and nodded, noticing that Raven already had a book tucked under her arm.

"Great, then we'll take these and this book," she said, giving both to the shopkeeper and following him to the cash register. "It's a first edition of _The Christmas Carol_," she told Emily. "Charles always reads it around Christmas. It's one of his favorite books."

Emily smiled at the blonde girl, thanking her for buying the cufflinks and promising she would pay her back, eventually. Raven just laughed and waved it off.

They left the little shop arm in arm and headed for the car. They spotted Erik leaning against it, hands in his pockets, watching people walk past. The women walked up to him as he straightened and reached into his jacket for the car keys.

"Are you two ready?" he asked, already opening the driver's side door.

"Yes," Raven responded, rolling her eyes at Emily over the hood of the car. Emily grinned and got into the back seat, setting the bag from the antique shop on the seat next to her. Raven had mentioned that there was paper to wrap presents in back at the mansion so there was no need to stop somewhere to buy some.

They pulled out of the parking space and headed back to the mansion, thoughts swirling around all their heads.


End file.
